Controlling ring for signaling devices of vehicles



May 16, 1933. H, ARNQLD ET AL CONTROLLING RING FOR SIGNALING DEVICES OF VEHICLES Filed Sept. 29, 1930 I 11m! ALLAH,

Patented May 16, 1933 UNITED v STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEINRICH ARNOLD, OF WAIBLINGEN, AND LUDWIG HOLM, OF STUTTGABT, GERMANY, ASSIGNOBS T ROBERT BOSCH AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, 0F STUTTGART, GERMANY GONTBOILING RING FOB SIGNALING DEVICES 0F VEHICLES Application filed September 29,

The invention relates to controlling rings adapted to be secured to the steering wheel of vehicles in which a contact for a horn or the like audible signal and a dimming device respectively can be closed by pressing down and raising the ring, the object of the invention being to increase the range of use of such controlling rings.

According to the present invention the controlling rin is made of two halved portions, one of w 'ch is rotatablein the plane of the, ring,-each halvedportion being displaceable towards the other.

,The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which one form of construction of the invention is illustrated by way of example and in which Fig. 1 shows a reduced view of the controlling ring with part of the upper half of the ring removed.

Fig. 2 is a section on 'Fig. 1,

Fig. 2 Fig 1, 1

. ig. 4 is a section on the line E-F of Fig. 1.

The form of construction, shown by way of example is determined for a steering wheel having four spokes. The segments of/the rin made by the four spokes are substantia y uniformly provided with recesses for the controlling device for the dionly installed in the line A-B of rection indicator, which is one ring segment.

The controlling ring is composed of an annular upper bowl 1 and an annular lower bowl 2 each formed in segments and each encloses a flat supporting ring 3, of electrically conducting material, and is secured on the four spokes. of the steering wheel by supporting pins 4 which are firmly connected to the rin 3. The, two bowls 1 and 2 are held by t e leaf springs 5, insulatedly moimted on the ring 3 and by bolts 6 in e such a way that both can be pressed against the ring 3 in opposition to the leaf springs 5, whilst in addition the upper bowl -1 is adapted to be angularly displaceable for a limited distance about the' centre of the cured to the bowl 2 and a contact terminal 2 is a section on the line BC of' 1930, Serial No. 485,288, and in Germany October 4, 1929.

ring. For this purpose each pin 6 is screwed at one end into a nut 7 which is connected to the upper bowl 1, and is guided at its otherend i. e. at its head portion facing the rings 3, by two bars 9 connectedto the lower bowl 2. The pin passes through a longitudinal slot 8 in the ring 3.

A set of contact arrangements for the electric horn and the electric dimming device are installed, in each segment of the annular bowls 1, 2, the size of which segments is governed by number of spokes of the steering wheel, i. e. if there are four spokes in the steering wheel then there are four segments to the bowls 1,2. The contact arrangement for the horn includes a terminal 11 which is connected to the horn and is insulatedly secured to a contact spring 10 on the ring 3, a contact head 12 insulatedly se- 13 on thering 3.

The *contact arrangement for the dimming device includes a terminal 15 connected to the dimming device and insulatedly secured to the ring 3 together with a contact spring 14, a contact'head 16, insulatedly secured to the bowl 2 and a contact terminal 17 on the ring 3. v

The contact arrangement for the direction indicator contains a terminal 19 which is connected to the positive pole of a battery and is insulatedly mounted on the ring 3 together with a two armed contact lever 18, a contact head 20 insulatedly mounted on the bowl 1 and two terminals 23 and 24 insulatedly mounted on the ring 3 together with contact terminals 21 and 22, these terminals 23 and 24 respectively being connected to the left and right direction indicators.

A bolt 25 is in addition insulatedly mounted on the upper'bowl 1 with a stop spring 26 which bolt passes through a longitudinal slot in the ring 3 and supports a cross-member 27 at its end. Two spiral a: springs 28 and 29 mounted in sleeves on the lower side of the ring 3 press against the two ends of the cross-member 27 and tend to bring the bowl 1 into the position of rest shown, when it has been angularly displaced to the left or to the right for operating the direction indicator.

All the terminals and contact springs are insulated from the ring 3 and all the contact heads and the bolt 25 are insulated from ,the two bowls 1 and 2. By this arrangement the two bowls 1 and 2 are constantly insulated from the ring 3 and it is impossi- .ble for a current of electricity to pass into the body of the operator or driver when the latter is operating the controlling ring.

The ground contacts 13 and 17 of the ring 3 are connected to the frame or ground of the vehicle in known manner through the supporting bolts 4 and the securing yoke connected to them. The cables from the controlling ring pass through holes into the lower bowls 2 which preferably lie in the region of the steering wheel spokes.

The controlling device is manipulated in the following manner In order to sound the horn or other audible signaling device of the vehicle the upper bowl 1 is pressed down by a small amount to bring the contact head 12 of the segment operated into engagement with its contact spring 10 whereupon this is forced into contact with the terminal 13, whereby the circuit of the horn is closed.

In order to operate the dimming device one or more segments of the lower bowl 2 is or are raised to bring the contact head or heads 16 into engagement with the corresponding contact spring or springs 14 which are forced against the terminalor terminals 17 In order to operate the right hand direction indicator the bowl 1 is rotated for' a determined amount in clockwise direction. By this the contact head 20 presses against .the right arm of the double contact spring 18 which thereby touches the contact terminal 22, thus closing the circuit of the right hand direction-indicator.

The s iral spring 29 is simultaneously tensioned by the cross member 27. The stop spring 26 rests in the indicatin osition. In order to bring the indicator ac again the bowl is angularly displaced in the reverse direction and led into the position of rest by the spiral spring 29 whereupon it is held in that position by the sto spring 26. When operating the left hand 'rection indicator, the bowl 1 is angularl displaced by a small amount in an anti-c ockwise direction, and the contact between the contact spring 18, the contact terminal 21 are thereby closed and the spiral spring 28 is tensioned at the same time. The bowl 1 is angular] displaced in the reverse direction, i. e. in clbckwise direction in order to bring the left hand direction indicator back into its inoperative position.

It is possible to obtain distance i1lumina-' tion simultaneously when sounding the horn bowl 1 by simultaneously pressing down one or more segments of the upper bowl 1 and raising one or more segments of the lower bowl 2. F unller, it is also possible to operate the direction indicator simultaneously with sounding the born by rotating the upper as well as pressing down one or more of its segments.

If the steerin instead of the I the controlling ring only has three segments instead of four.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactdetails of construction shown and described and that various modifications in construction and arrangement can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

, What we claim is:

1. Control means for signaling devices of vehicles comprising an 0 rating ring member formed of two axia y disposed halved portions, separate electric switches enclosed within said ring, means to operate two of said switches on angular displacement of one of said halved portions of said ring about its axis in both directions, means to operate a third switch on the displacement of one halved portion in a direction towards the other, and means to operate the fourth switch on the displacement of the second wheel has only three spokes halved portion in a direction towards the 2. Control means for signaling devices of vehicles comprising an 0 rating ring member formed of two axia y halved portions, separate electric switches enclomd within said rin for contro circuits to a dimming device, an audible signal and a direction indicator respectively, means to operate the audible signal switch on displacement of one halved rtion of said ring in adirection towards tfi other halved portion, means to operate said dimming device switch on the displacement ofthe second halved portion of said ring in a direction towards the first halved'portion and means to operate the direction indicator switch by angular rotation of one halved portion about the axis of said 3. Control means for signaling devices of vehicles comprising an operating ring member formed of two axially disposed halved portions, -a ring situated intermediate said our s okes mentioned then. P a

and means to operate two the halved portions towards said intermediate ring 7 4. Control means for signaling of vehicles comprising an operating ring member formed of two axially disposed halved portions, a ring situated intermediate said halved portions, switch contacts for completing separate electrical circuits, certain of said contacts. being insulatedly secured to said intermediate ring, means for operating two of said switches on relative angular displacement of one halved portion with respect to said intermediate" ring in both directions, and means for operating two of said switches on the inwarddisplacement of the halved portions towards said intermediate ring.

5. Control means for signaling of vehicles comprising an 1 operating ring member formed of two axially disposed halved portions, a ring situated intermediate said halved portions, switch contacts for com.- pleting separate electrical circuits comprising contacts insulatedly secured to said intermediate ring and cooperating contact springs secured to said intermediate ring, operating heads insulatedly secured to both of said halved portions for operatingsaid contact springs, said operating heads being arranged to operate two of said switches on relative angular displacement of one halved portion with respect to said intermediate ringlin both directions and to operate two of said switches on the inward displacement of the halved portions towards said intermediate ring.

6. Control means for signaling devices of vehicles comprising a pair of co-axial ring members forming in effect a single closed ring, an intermediate ring between said ring members and enclosed thereby, contact members on said intermediate ring and insulated therefrom, other contact members supported by said intermediate ring and cooperating with said first contact members to form.

separate switches for controlling a dimming device, a direction indicator and an audible signal respectively, means to close the said direction indicator switch on relative angular displacement of one of said ring members with respect to said intermediate ring,

means to close the audible signal switch on displacement of one of said ring members towards said intermediate ring and means to close the dimming device switch on displacement of the second ring towards said intermediate ring.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto aflixed our signatures.

HEINRICH ARNOLD. LUDWIG HOLM. Y 

